National News

Michael Reagan Blasts "Butler," Obama Moved By Movie

The son of former President Ronald Reagan is blasting the hit movie "The Butler" for its portrayal of his father. In a critical review posted Tuesday on the website Newsmax, Michael Reagan says the film, starring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker as a White House butler who served seven presidents, is "a bunch of lies." Reagan takes particular exception to the depiction of his father, played by Alan Rickman in the movie, saying the film suggests the former President was racist. He writes, "Despite what Hollywood's liberal hacks believe, my father didn't see people in colors. He saw them as individual Americans."

Meantime, current President Barack Obama, says he was moved by the movie. Politico.com says the President told radio host Tom Joyner in an interview Tuesday that he teared up while watching "The Butler" thinking about not just the butlers who worked in the White House, but "an entire generation" of skilled and talented people who were limited by discrimination. He also said he enjoyed Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s jokes in the movie and watching Oprah perform, calling her "a wonderful actress."